Women's Rights 1800-1860:
A fight for freedom and rights.
In the begining of the 19th century women had barley any rights. They mainly stayed at home and tended to the house and thier children.
Here are a list of some of the things that women couldnt do:
  • Vote
  • Hold any office in state
  • They had no access to higher education
  • They were excluded from professional occupations
  • They didn't have a leagle identity away from their husbands
  • They couldn't make a contract
  • They couldn't own property
  • If there was a seperation between a women and her husband, the women couldn't gain custody over her child/children.
But in the later 19th century, things started to change for women. For Example. Women were waiting longer to have children and get married, collages were opening for women, and some mens collages were accepting women too. There were also new carrer oppertunities avalible, such as, "mill girl", elemantry school teachers, also many women became successful novelist, editors, teachers, leaders of churches ans philanthropic socities.
Even with the new rights that the women gained, they still has no power ove the econmy, or any sort of politics. During the later 19th century, since women were marrying later they needed their own cash income. The only way that they could achive that is if they got their own cash income. So many women and older children started working in the mills, doing normal house hold task, such as weaving or spinning, doing thos e jobs gave the women an actual cash income that they could live off of.
But that wasn't the end of where things changed, in fact that was only the begging. The Women's Rights Movement changed many things. It gave women more power over politics and economics. It started in 1848, there was a three day discussion/ debate that ended with 68 women and 32 men signing a decloration. This decloration outlined the agenda for The Women's Rights Movement. it also stated 12 resolutions for the rights that women still didn't have. This decloration also gave women and men equal voting rights. Starting in 1850 there were coventions/ rallies. There was a convention/ rallie each year after that until 1860. Each of the conventions attracted 1,000 women and men who were fighting for women's rights.
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